Alcohol and the body have a complex relationship with each other. In order to fully explore this, let's see what happens when alcohol first enters and what occurs from there.
Once a person drinks alcohol, it reaches the stomach where about 20 percent of the alcohol enters the bloodstream. The remaining 80 percent enters the blood stream via the small intestine.
From there the alcohol flows through the blood stream and starts being filtered by the liver, where it's broken down by enzymes. The liver can metabolize one standard drink an hour (one 12 ounce can of beer, 4 ounce glass of wine or 1.5 ounces of 40 percent alcohol). Anything higher than these amounts normally cannot be processed by the liver. When this happens, the blood stream remains saturated with alcohol until the liver can process it at a later time.
There are short term effects to consider as well, because alcohol can drastically affect the brain's function. A person's judgment can become impaired. Senses such as sight and hearing can become impaired as well. Other issues such as loss of muscle coordination and balance can occur. The more alcohol that is consumed the more amplified these symptoms can become.
Alcohol can do harm to your body when it is consumed in large amounts over a prolonged time period. The liver can be damaged by prolonged alcohol exposure which can lead to cirrhosis. Excessive drinking can also cause brain damage and anemia, a greater chance of lung collapse and pneumonia, and increased chance of mouth and esophageal cancers.
Alcohol and the body do not have a kind relationship with each other. The body tries its best to filter it out the best it can, while the alcohol saturates the entire body with its effects. When drinking is done in moderation, alcohol and the body are kept in balance. But when someone drinks excessively for a prolonged period of time, damage is done and it is sometimes irreversible.
